Meddy Games

- Fun games to play -

1. Memory Recall - One person calls out the name of a yoga pose and one person puts Meddy in the pose and does the pose also. Then pass the Meddy to the next person. Circle would be best for this, and encourage everyone to call out someone who hasn't gone yet.

2. Animal Yoga Class - Gather all your plush animals and lead them in a yoga class. Meddy could be the teacher to show the other animals what to do.

3. Ready and Steady - Write a song, rap or rhyme about Meddy Teddy and yoga. Try to make it easy enough where everyone can follow along.

4. Flash Fun - Make fun Meddy Teddy yoga cards,(hopefully Meddy will have his own soon) You can draw Meddy into different poses for your cards or even stick figures with bear ears could make them look like Meddy. You can use them in your Animal Yoga Class too.

5. Human Mandala - Get your friends in a circle and have one lead the class, follow the leader. Teacher/ first to start does a pose and everyone follows. Switch the leader after a few poses. Best to have the teacher start, and empower the students to lead after being comfortable with the mandala.

6. Long Mat Game - Line up yoga mats across the room. At each mat do a different pose.

7. Bell Game - Get some bells, drums, shakers, anything that makes a sound. Sit in a circle with your friends and ring or hit the drum. Pass the instrument after you've made the sound, speaking is not necessary in this game, smiles for sure! Alternate version - this applies mainly to bells. Pass the bell as silently as you can trying your best to not make the bell ring. This is a huge mindful game! Very fun.

8. Find Your Partner - Pick a partner, then close your eyes. Feel your partners facial features, memorize them! After a few seconds turn around and walk away. Then, try and find your partner from the group by feeling their face! Mindful Game.

9. Mirror Game - In the circle, partner with the person directly across from you, that is your mirror. One of the partners leads, the person who follows must mirror what the other does. If the leader rotates in the circle, the follower must rotate in the opposite direction. If the leader does a pose, the follower mirrors.

10. Compliment Game - Get a bunch of small things, could be small soft plush balls, anything really that you could fit a lot of in your hands. Each person has a lot of these. Walk around the room and as you give one to someone, give them a compliment.

11. Mr. Wolf - One person is Mr. Wolf and the rest of the group is scared of him or her! As Mr. Wolf walks wolfy like across the room he or she turns around and at that point the followers must freeze in a yoga pose. Mr. Wolf can get close to those frozen in their pose, try to scare them out of the pose, sniff, snarl. As Mr. Wolf nears the other end of the room he or she then chases the followers back to the other side. If Mr. Wolf catches someone, Mr. Wolf can make them do a forfeit, ex, yoga sequence or a pose, or pushups!

12. Bulldogs - Make two safe zones with yoga mats or anything. Have enough space in the safe zones where the cats can be safe. Have one or a few if the class is big Bulldogs in the middle. The Bulldog(s) says, "3,2,1 Bulldogs!" at that point the cats must run from one safe zone to the other. If the Bulldog catches a cat, he or she makes them do a forfeit, can be a yoga pose or even a whole movement.

13. Unicorns and Zebras - Make two circles, the inside are the unicorns and the outside the zebras. This is another mandala type game. Start with the teacher leading. The teacher(a unicorn) says now zebras do warrior 2 ex. Zebras do Warrior 2. Teacher then says now unicorns do down dog. The teacher leads each until everyone is comfortable with how the game works. Advanced is rotating turns and letting each member of the unicorns and zebras tell the other group what to do. Beautiful shapes can be made from this game!

14. Letter - This is a calming game for older groups. Have everyone in a circle or spread out is fine and supplied with a pen, a piece of paper or a few if necessary, and an envelope. Date the envelope one year from the current date of writing and write on the outside, Mike's Eyes Only for example. On the letter, write to yourself telling of all the amazing things that has occurred to you in the past year, informing yourself basically. Include health, goals, beautiful things to yourself. Once finished seal it up and let them take it home!

15. Writing to Someone Else - Similar to the Letter Game, write a letter to someone else telling them all the amazing things about them. This can be given after class and read right away!

16. Mandala Coloring - Print out Mandalas on paper that can be colored in. Have your students sit in a circle and have them color the mandalas. This can be a great way to end your class. If class is running to an end, have your students take them home to finish. Just type in Google Mandala Print Out and you can find stuff like this.

17. High Low Name Game - This is an introduction name game. In the circle the teacher starts. "My name is Mike, I have so many great friends and Yoga makes me happy." This is an example of two highs, the person next in the circle would introduce and say two things. An alternate and more fun version is to be in the circle, have two people partner up and talk for a few minutes, get to know each other, and when it's their turn, they introduce each other and they switch telling the class about the other person. Can also do a version where you say things both have in common. Great way to learn each other's name and something about them.

18. Movement Name Game - Have the teacher start and explain to class before you begin. Teacher does a movement and sound. Ex. "Bedobedobedo, Mike" and after saying that, Mike would do a yoga pose/movement. After the Mike/ the teacher goes, everyone copies and says, "bedobedobedo Mike" and does Mike's movement. Next person goes, ex. "lalalala, Tim," Tim then does a yoga pose/movement. The group copies Tim's sound, says name and does movement. If you have a class of 10 or more, stop halfway and have everyone go in order repeating everyone's sound, name, then movement so everyone remembers.